USC 97
|Row 3 title = Participants |Row 3 info = 50 |Row 4 title = Debuting countries |Row 4 info = None |Row 5 title = Returning countries |Row 5 info = , , , , , |Row 6 title = Withdrawing countries |Row 6 info = , , , , , , |Row 7 title = Winner |Row 7 info = Ben Hazlewood ft. Mali-Koa Hood "Paint me black" |Row 8 title = Timeline |Row 8 info = ◄ Tallinn 96 Sydney 98 ► }} Universong 97 was the ninety seventh edition of the Universong Contest, held in the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku. That was the first Azerbaijani production of the USC, and was held between the 7th and the 25th of March, 2017 after the winning of Eldar Gasimov, with the song "Tell me about love" on the previous edition held in Tallinn, Estonia. 50 countries competed for being the 97th Universong winner. No countries debuted, and seven countries returned: the Faroe Islands (whose last participation was in USC 95 in Rome), Puerto Rico (its last participation was in USC 92 in Santiago de Chile), Tuvalu (its last partaking was in USC 82 in Split), Russia (whose last concurrence was in USC 93 in Tehran) and Switzerland (Gothenburg saw its last participation in USC 91). Also returning is Syria, country that last competed in USC 74 in St. Petersburg, and managed by Logal, a historical player. Australia became at the end of the final voting the winner of this Universong Contest. The song "Paint me black", by Ben Hazlewood and Mali-Koa Hood, got in total 180 points, getting three sets of 12 points, and being sixth with the finalists votes. This is the fourth overall winning for Australia, as well as the first since USC 79. Meanwhile, England was declared as the runner-up of this edition, being this the fifth time that this country gets the second place. The song "Skin" by Rag'n'Bone Man got 158 points, 22 point less than winner Australia and, as well as the winner, three sets of 12 points and the seventh place with the finalists votes. This has been the best position for England since USC 78. On the other hand, the third place went to Peru. The South American country got their best historical position at a country level. The song "Let me go" by Bravvo, Stephanie Cayo and Sebastián Llosa got the 140 points, 18 less than the runner-up and 40 less than the winner, while getting the tenth place with the finalists and one set of 12 points. This result comes to consolidate the good moment that South America has been going through in the last seven editions. It's important to remark that the non-finalists decided with their votes the top 3 of this edition, in the same order. The top 5 was completed with the representations of Iceland and Brazil. Hosts Azerbaijan got a remarkable sixth place in home turf, while Puerto Rico got their best position since its winning in USC 80. While former USC champion, Álvaro Soler, this time representing Andorra, could only achieve a 13th place in the final. About the city Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, alongside the Bay of Baku. At the beginning of 2009, Baku's urban population was estimated at just over two million people. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area. Baku is divided into eleven administrative districts (raions) and 48 townships. Among these are the townships on the islands of the Baku Archipelago, and the town of Oil Rocks built on stilts in the Caspian Sea, 60 kilometres (37 miles) away from Baku. The Inner City of Baku, along with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. According to the Lonely Planet's ranking, Baku is also among the world's top ten destinations for urban nightlife.6 The city is the scientific, cultural and industrial center of Azerbaijan. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there. The Baku International Sea Trade Port is capable of handling two million tons of general and dry bulk cargoes per year.7 In recent years, Baku has become an important venue for international events. It hosted the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, the 2015 European Games, the 2016 European Grand Prix and will host the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017 and UEFA Euro 2020. The city is renowned for its harsh winds, which is reflected in its nickname, the "City of Winds". Semifinal 1 In this semifinal, the 23 semifinalists plus shall vote in this semifinal. will decide in which semifinal it'll vote. The rest of the countries can vote too, but their votes will be counted as Rest of the World. Semifinal 2 In this semifinal, the 24 semifinalists plus shall vote in this semifinal. will decide in which semifinal it'll vote. The rest of the countries can vote too, but their votes will be counted as Rest of the World. Grand Final Split Results Finalists/Non-Finalists Returning artists Special Awards Bartek Award Best Non-English Award hph01 Award Category:Universong Contest